


Moth to Flame

by msbiscuits



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Courting Rituals, Cunnilingus, F/F, Public Nudity, Swimming, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 22:48:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29500197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/msbiscuits/pseuds/msbiscuits
Summary: What did she see when she looked upon her?Nothing quite so extraordinary, she imagined.
Relationships: Allura/Ven'tar (Voltron)
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Reposting this because why not. I miss these two <3

Allura squinted down at the water-stained book, brow thoughtfully pinched as she attempted to decipher the text. “What is a lapis… rock?” Her voice rose with uncertainty at the second word.

Ven’tar’s eyes crinkled. A giggle was stifled behind her hand. “Lapis  _ stone _ , actually. But you were very close!” How quickly the Altean princess picked up and translated the Kompassian language was impressive. And only after her third tour there, too. She must have been studying on her own in their time apart.

“They’re used for courting. It’s not our only tradition, but it’s the most widely accepted one.”

Allura suddenly perked up. “Courting!?” Brilliant lavender and cerulean sparkled up at her with interest. Chivalry and romance always seemed to command her attention. It was a wonder how no one stepped up and asked for her hand in marriage yet, kind and beautiful as she was.

“Yes,  _ courting. _ ” Ven’tar leaned on her hand, flipping to the next page where a detailed depiction of the stone in question was drawn. Despite its deep blue-green hue, it looked rather plain and unassuming. One of the main features that made them so difficult to find. “A lapis stone is scavenged and given to the person of interest in private. If they accept, they fashion the stone into an accessory of their choosing to show they’re spoken for.”

“Oh,” she breathed. Soft pink bloomed across Allura’s cheeks as she bent closer, fingers tracing over the drawing. Utterly transfixed as it came to life with a radiating light. Gentle and pulsing under her touch. “It glows!”

“From the luminbeet fossilized inside, yes.” She dragged a finger over another drawing of a silvery-white insect. The thin, leaf-like wings expanded and fluttered, a kaleidoscope of colors revealed. “Its bioluminescence still shines even after its death. It’s what makes it a symbol of eternal love and fidelity, even after we pass on to  _ Vir’Anarith. _ That means—”

“—life after death,” Allura translated confidently. Ven’tar blinked, mouth parting in surprise as the princess tilted her sunny face up at her, a proud smile pulling back the corners of her lips.

So her suspicions were true. She really had been studying since her last visit. What compelled her to take an active interest in the language, she wondered.

Allura sighed dreamily. Heavy-lidded and starry-eyed. A profound longing glittered there as she pressed her cheek into her palm. “It all sounds so wonderfully romantic.”

Ven’tar hummed, considering her own friends and family. Of experiences equally good and bad that accompanied the longstanding tradition. Stories of lapis stones purchased from the shadow market, and in worse cases, manufactured to oblivious citizens for profit. Or of strangers following her friends for months on end for an opportunity to ask. Fingers tapped along the stilted lettering on the page. “It can be when the right person asks. Sometimes you’ll have complete strangers approach you. It’s… odd, and dangerous at times, but not entirely unexpected. Which is unfortunate.”

Allura suddenly cast her gaze her way, chin now comfortably perched in her palm. Lavender pupils unabashedly searched her face, trailing to the length of her neck, dipping below her collar to the thin bodice. It wasn’t lustful in any way, but Ven’tar’s entire body thrummed with warmth all the same. She hoped it didn’t show on her face.

“Have you… been asked before?”

“Me…?” The unsteady trill in her second set of vocal cords betrayed her nerves. Luckily Allura didn't possess the right anatomy to properly comprehend or even hear the sound. Any other Kompassian would figure out her muted attraction for the princess in a heartbeat. A slow, simmering magnetism that began during Allura’s second tour there. After the princess insisted on keeping her company to the moonglow pools. Smile bright and hand warm around her own. It was an evening she would never forget.

“I… I haven’t,” Ven’tar confessed, cheeks heating under pressure. Unspoken for at almost one hundred years old. Allura didn’t seem the type to judge someone over it, but apprehension that she might still lingered at the back of her mind.

Allura finally giggled, and Ven’tar felt her heart sink. Did she read her wrong this whole time? 

But then Allura ducked her head shyly, attempting to hide behind her starlight hair. It barely concealed the furious blush creeping across the bridge of her nose. “I’d say that’s unfair, but then I’d be a liar.”

Ven’tar gaped at her. “I… What?

Her eyes widened in realization. At the implication that she took joy from the fact that she was still single “I didn’t mean— It’s not—!” Allura floundered in her explanation, flustered beyond compare. She buried her pink face in her arms, voice muffled by the bedsheets. “I only meant… that it’s good that someone hasn’t asked you yet. Someone might be wanting to… well… you know…”

Her breath caught in her throat, a pleasant flutter bursting in her chest. If a dark green hue didn’t color her cheeks before, they definitely did now. Her mouth pulled into a timid smile as she rubbed Allura’s back, fingers catching onto silky curls. “I think I understand.”

Allura peeked up at her guiltily. Red in the face and darkening still as Ven’tar tucked a long strand behind a pointed ear. She pouted. “I’m sorry. That went so much better in my head.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” she replied softly, admiring the way Allura’s blush crept down to her collar for an entirely different reason now. Her fingers lingered along the rim of her ear, skin petal soft as she stroked there. They twitched under her touch.

Ven’tar swallowed. If Allura could take a leap, then so could she.

Allura’s lips parted as Ven’tar bent closer, eyes shining with anticipation as her own fingers closed over her hand. Almost breath away, she tilted her face up as her eyelids slid closed, her long lashes brushing her cheeks. Eager for a taste just as much as she was.

But then a sudden knock at the door immediately broke the spell, and the moment vanished just as easily as it came.

“Princess Ven’tar!” Her guard called from outside the door. Completely oblivious to what was going on in her quarters. “Apologies, but King Alfor is summoning his daughter.”

“Right! Yes!” Ven’tar managed to choke out. “We’ll be there momentarily.”

Allura laughed again, pinning her lower lip underneath her teeth. She squeezed her hand. A promise held in her touch. “Another time.”

_ Next  _ time.

She would make sure of it.


	2. Chapter 2

Night fell upon Kompassia and Allura found herself sitting around the moonglow pools for the third time that movement. Her muscles ached from exertion, lungs still burning and fingertips terribly wrinkled from all the vargas spent in the water.

Three quintants of endless searching. And for what? Cuts and bruises? A sore body? Mounting frustration after each quintant passed without obtaining that precious lapis stone? Allura rubbed her face against her knees, feeling the familiar sting of tears forming at the inner corners of her eyes. How awful this tour turned out to be. All she wanted was something to embody her developing feelings for Princess Ven’tar. Something Ven and other Kompassians were sure to understand. And now that she was departing the next morning, something she would also remember her by.

But she hardly managed that. And now she sat alone on the outskirts of the palace. Cold and wet. With nothing left to do except stare at the pools in utter contempt. Those blasted luminbeets practically taunted her with how low they hovered above the water, around the luminescent reeds, movements aimless and tranquil — completely incognizant of her failure.

“ _There_ you are, princess!” The woman in question approached to her left. A smile both equal in bliss and relief stretched across her lips. The tension between her shoulders relaxed significantly with her long exhale. “I spent all day looking for you.”

“Ven! I— How did you know I was here?” She’d been relatively isolated after her escape that morning and told no one of her whereabouts beforehand. Not her useless guards. Not her father, who was too busy spending his last quintant exploring the Temple of the First Matriarch’s ruins. Not her mother, who promised to accompany queen consort Ael’oria down to the city of Florisson to meet with the local healers. Strange how no one within her own envoy thought to look for her.

“I called upon the planet’s spirit when I couldn’t find you,” Ven’tar said as she made herself comfortable beside her. She reached out towards the small sprout struggling to bloom between them. Under her touch, and with a gentle prod of magic, it flourished with a quick flash of light. She plucked it from the root, holding it delicately between two thin fingers as she eyed the white petals. “She wouldn’t reveal your location to me until she sensed your distress. I came as soon as I could.”

Distress? Maybe. Though disappointment was probably a better word for it.

Allura hadn’t realized Ven inched even closer until she suddenly tucked a damp curl behind her ear, neatly placing the small blossom there. A blush heated up to the tips of her ears as her fingers lingered along the pointed edge. Heart pounding in her ears. Breath fixed in her throat. Ven had become bolder, much more generous with her touch since they almost kissed a few quintants ago. Allura welcomed the newfound intimacy, though it was still something to grow used to. “Are you alright? You missed afternoon tea with me.”

_Afternoon tea._

She knew she had forgotten something! Allura groaned into her palms, mortified by how carelessly she ruined their last few vargas together. Surely Ven’tar wouldn’t want anything to do with her now. “I’m sorry. I know it’s a terrible excuse, but I just… I just lost track of time.”

“Yes, I can see that.” Amusement colored Ven’s words. And when Allura dared to look upon her face again, she could tell a laugh threatened to slip past her lips. How unusual for the normally solemn princess. Allura cracked her own smile. Perhaps Ven hadn’t given up on her just yet, and there was still a chance to salvage lost time.

Ven’tar spread out the blanket folded within her arms and began bundling her up. Warmth immediately enveloped her, fending off the chill and easing the ache in her muscles. “There. Better?”

Allura nodded, pressing her cheek against the downy fabric. A useless attempt at hiding the blush now creeping down her shoulders.

Ven pulled the hem of her dress up to her knees, dipping her feet into the steaming pool with a satisfied sigh. “What were you doing out here? Catching polliwogs?”

“N-No…” Though they were admittedly cute curiously wriggling around Ven’s calves. “I was… swimming.”

The mauve of her eyes instantly brightened, though her grin transformed into something a little more impish. “Swimming? I‘d like to see that.”

Her face blazed. “I’m not very good at it…”

Ven lifted a shoulder. “Anyone can learn with a little practice.”

True enough. Although she wasn’t sure when to fit that kind of training back on Altea. Between all her alchemy lessons and princessly duties, it was all that occupied her time nowadays. And even with any to spare, she was sure her father wouldn’t allow it. _Focus your potential on useful abilities_ , he’d say. But why must she sacrifice her interests for it? To sacrifice activities that brought out her enjoyment? Allura hid her frown behind the blanket. Already the last remnants of her good mood were plummeting.

In the midst of their silence Ven had stood up, dress still bunched around her knees as she waded a few feet deeper into the pool. For a several doboshes, she scanned the waters with a determined notch in her brow, antennae occasionally glowed a vibrant yellow-green each time she unconsciously let out an inquisitive trill.

In that moment, Allura’s heart stilled. The combined light of Ven’s antennae and the flora surrounding them brought out her best features as she curiously poked around the reeds. Full lips, of which she hadn’t tasted yet, and a prepossessing stare she could lose herself in for eternity. The moonlight filtering through the trees lit up the pool like shattered gemstones, revealing the faint outline of Ven’s body underneath the dress. Her heart hammered against her ribcage. _So lovely._ Allura wondered if Ven’tar ever felt that way looking upon her. She sullenly dug her fingers into the fabric, curling it into her fists and pulling it upwards towards her cold nose. Perhaps not, if her attention was so easily swayed like it was now.

“A-ha!”

Ven was all smiles and happy trills in her swift return. But instead of taking a seat again, she stood opposite her, practically vibrating with excitement as she aimed an expectant look down at her. “Well?”

“Hm?”

“Shall we look for a lapis stone together?”

Allura froze. “I— What? _H-How did you…?_ ”

“That’s why you’re here, yes?” She bit back a giggle as she reached for her hands. Allura readily let her take them. “You’re a very easy read, Allura.”

Right. Empath. And a powerful one, at that. Much more than she was, anyway. She’d be a mess of emotions over half a palace away and Ven would most certainly pinpoint every single one of them in a heartbeat. Impressive, but hardly helpful to her at that moment, especially when she wanted to keep this gift — or lack thereof — a secret. There was no use denying it.

The blanket fell off her shoulders, pooling atop the mossy ground as Ven pulled her upright. The cool air hit her like a wave, but still she stood her ground. Her toes curled into the soft vegetation as she trembled from head to toe. “Did… Did you find one?”

“Not yet. But there are signs that there should be more than a few.” 

Then she did something Allura would have never expected.

Ven’tar grabbed the hem of her waterlogged dress, tugging it up and off her head in one graceful motion, discarding it beside the heap of fabric she left behind. All thoughts fled her mind as her eyes quickly darted over Ven’s willowy figure, to the dip of her stomach and the gentle swell of her breasts. Even the sheer wings folded tight against her back glittered like fine gossamer. Allura swallowed thickly, every inch of her suddenly burning with need. Late nights in the privacy of her bedroom, that familiar bodily craving took over her when she allowed her imagination to run wild about a certain royal plantisect.

That need was in full force now.

Allura’s mind was on auto-pilot as Ven reached for her hand — _static between their fingertips, dueling desires a sign of the inevitable_ — a hint of a knowing smile teasing her lips as she drew her back into the steaming water’s embrace. It welcomed her as if it had a mind of its own, clung to her figure like a second skin.

Down, down, down they went. So much further than Allura managed before. _Deeper_ than what she thought her body was capable of. Perhaps it was the magic of the waters that protected her, shielded her from the mounting pressure and alleviating the air dispelling her lungs. _But how?_ There was still so much about Kompassia left untouched, undiscovered by their own people, kept secret from outsiders. The things she learned about them through texts were hardly anything more than superficial. But even then, spoken histories and all the books in the universe could not have prepared her for the reality of what she witnessed. _What she felt._ The thrill of electricity tingling in the little space between their skin, rushing through the rest of her extremities, eyes opening anew to the world around her.

Everything before her suddenly appeared clear. _Sharp._ Warm and vibrant. Inviting and _alive._ Mind, body, soul — each part of her connected in the sense that she was very much one with the planet’s lifestream.

Dozens upon dozens of gemstones lay scattered amongst the moss and sand. Some even embedded within the tangle of mangrove roots webbed across the floor. Violet, green, red, blue — a myriad of colors pulsed alight, then faded back into the murky darkness like stars amidst a nebulous sky.

Is this what Ven saw in her endless dreamscape? The energy and aura of every living being? A beautiful harmony between organic and inorganic?

What did she see when she looked upon her?

Nothing quite so extraordinary, she imagined.

Allura held tight onto Ven’s shoulders as they searched and searched. Weaved deftly under thick roots and dense fronds to approach each glimmer of blue. All came up empty. Devoid of that coveted luminbeet. Before long, that all too familiar feeling of melancholy began weighing heavy in her chest all over again. Until—

_There._

Buried beneath the moss, where the giant mangrove built its foundations, was the object she hunted tirelessly for quintants. A precious lapis stone. It had to be. Deep teal in color and shining brilliantly from the pale luminbeet fossilized within. Ven’tar cradled it in her hands, the smile stretching across her lips a confirmation to Allura’s suspicions.

“Do all Plantisects see things like that?” Allura asked long after they settled back around the edge of the pool, cheeks warm with euphoria as she safeguarded the jewel close to her chest.

Ven shook out the water from her wings. “Mmm, no. Only those with a strong spiritual connection to our planet can see things in such a way. My mothers and sisters, our high priestesses and a few of their most devout followers, for example.”

Allura gathered her legs within the circle of her arms as she observed the other woman. “It was _beautiful._ I’ve never seen anything like it before,” she breathed in awe. “Thank you for sharing such an intimate part of yourself with me.”

Ven’s entire expression softened. “You’re my chosen. I’d share anything with you, my beloved.”

Her chosen. Her _beloved._

Her heart pounded, beating loud enough to reach her ears. Allura pulled the unbridled delight threatening to bubble up back to nothing more than a heavy blush and a bite to her lower lip as she glanced down at the stone in her hands. A gift meant for the Kompassian princess, but Ven swiftly beat her to the question. She could already imagine fashioning it into a necklace, wearing it proudly for all to see on Altea with the public none the wiser to its true meaning: a symbol of a burgeoning courtship between two royals.

A secret to be kept until her people moved past their archaic laws.

“Could you see mine? My spirit, I mean.” Curiosity nagged at her since they plunged the pool’s depths. “I saw yours. Briefly.” Like that of a celestial body. With colors that rivaled sunshine and ivory summer linens, and others that matched those of the lush flora of her planet. A bewitching combination that could only equal the loveliness of the woman herself.

What would hers look like, she wondered. Different shades of pink and gold? White or something more pearlescent?

“I cannot,” Ven’tar spoke softly as she kneeled opposite her, wings folded neatly between her shoulder blades once again. “Possibly because we’re not of the same kind.” Before disappointment took ahold of her emotions, Allura caught sight of a pretty smile edging along Ven’s lips.

“But I sense _something_ within you. Something beautiful and virtuous. Something that reaches out to me each time you’re near.” Ven’s cheeks flushed a dark green as she reached out to twist a wet curl around her finger, her blush almost matching the markings along her cheekbones. “I often find myself submitting to its pull. It’s one of the many reasons why I’ve become so fond of you.”

Allura found herself leaning forward, eager for Ven’s touch upon her skin instead. Unable to ignore the heat already building between her thighs at the seductive gesture. Ven’tar seemed to sense exactly what she desired, because in the next moment she cupped her cheek, thumb affectionately rubbing the soft pink marking at the corner of her eye.

“I just see you, Allura.”

* * *

The princess of Altea proved to be an earnest lover. Far more eager than her share of lovers over the past ten decaphoebs. Eager in her touch, in her kiss. Eager in regard to her feelings and responses. Eager to learn. _Eager to prove._

Ven’tar sensed it in the roll of Allura’s hips, in the harsh press of fingertips to the gentle curve of her hips. Desperate for that friction only the amorous meeting of two bodies could alleviate. Ven caught the moment Allura’s brows drew together in both relief and pleasure as her fingers found that sensitive spot between her thighs. The woman stretched out beneath her, tipped her head back against the pillows in utter bliss. The sight of her had her craving for more of those delightful moans and sighs.

“O-Oh…!” Allura suddenly covered her mouth, the heavy blush on her cheeks a combination of both passion and embarrassment. “Should I be quiet, Ven?”

The walls were thin, sure, and anybody could easily figure out what was transpiring if they happened to fly by her room. But Ven couldn’t find it in herself to care. Always throwing caution to the wind when it came to her.

Ven traced a fingertip along Allura’s kiss-swollen lips. The cyan of her eyes turned heady under her touch. “I want you to sing for me, little blossom. I don’t care if all the guards in the palace hear you when I make love to y—”

Allura pulled her into a searing kiss, teeth clashing and tongues meeting urgently for a taste. Sweet and refreshing and _pure._ Spirits, they should’ve been doing this quintants ago. “I want it to be you, Ven,” she spoke between starved breaths. “ _Please._ ”

How could she deny her future queen? And with a plea so perfectly sublime.

Ven savored the salt on her skin as she dipped past her collarbone, collected the last remnants of pool water beaded along her breasts with the flat of her tongue. Allura’s breath hitched, body arching from the bed to meet Ven’s mouth with each wicked lick and bite. She tracked a path down the dip of her stomach. Tasted magic and quintessence from her markings. Aimed a playful nip to the jut of her hip bone as she passed. Allura squirmed at that — a soft giggle breaking past her lips — before her hand pushed against the space between her antennae.

A gesture of encouragement.

_A demand._

Ozone hit her first, and then the intoxicating scent that was so naturally Allura. Only it was stronger now. And far more invigorating than what she’d grown accustomed to. Ven’s mouth watered, hungry for the feast her princess so generously offered her.

Allura quivered in pleasure as Ven found her slit, tasting the wetness gathered there, briefly supping from her exquisite warmth before shifting her attention to her soft petals. She was as succulent as their native firefruit, and her nectar sweet and addicting like honey.

Never would she taste anything more divine.

Ven tugged her impossibly close by the hips. Drunk off the feel and flavor of her. As if the action would somehow yield something more from her. Allura seemed to have the same idea as she propped herself up by her arm, drawing Ven’s head closer, chasing after that delicious climax with an almost senseless ride of her hips and a determined notch to her brow.

“Oh, ancients. _Yes_ ,” she panted, high off desire but hardly louder than a whisper. “ _Pleasepleaseplease, more._ ”

Allura keened, her melodious voice reaching a crescendo as Ven wrapped her lips around that sensitive bud. Fingers curled into the sheets, face flushed and gaze lost in the haze of her rapture. Loud enough now to wake the entire palace as she reached a fever pitch.

It wouldn’t take much more to push her over the edge.

Ven suddenly thrust two fingers into her without warning. Stroked _just_ the spot that pushed all the right buttons. Allura’s sharp gasp was music to her ears as she continued to lick and suckle and caress her cunt, lavishing every ounce of attention on the young princess with hand and mouth. Muscles tensed under her touch with the steady build to that ineffable oblivion. And like Ven hoped — _like she expected_ — Allura shuddered above her, clamping around her fingers with a choked whimper as her hips faltered in their movements.

No words could describe how captivating she was as Ven watched her completely give in to pleasure. Damp curls a wild halo, cyan and lavender misty with gratification, sweat-slicked skin glittering with each heaving breath, wispy markings a vibrant pink that almost seemed to pulse in time with her climax.

Ven slowed her ministrations as Allura came down from her high. And still she tended to her, savoring the last remnants of her heady desire with an eager tongue.

Allura stretched out onto her stomach, limbs tangled in her sheets and looking every bit like she belonged there with her. The gaze she directed at her spoke of satisfaction, heavy with a renewed longing as Ven reached her for a sweet kiss.

Ven’tar pressed against her back, against her soft curves, holding her close by the middle. “How was that, darling?” she murmured, lips touching the back of her shoulder. A thumb caressed the swell of Allura’s breast, to the hardened peak of a dusky nipple.

Allura’s response was a giggle. “Far better than what I can do on my own.” _That_ was something she’d like to see. Perhaps she could convince her to before her departure in the morning. They had all night (and morning) to make up for lost time.

“So? Round two?”

Ven blinked down at her. “Already?”

Allura’s entire expression brightened with her sunny smile, and at that moment Ven knew she was done for. That she’d submit to whatever whim she desired. “And why not? I believe it’s your turn anyway, yes?”


End file.
